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I was one of those guys who just never listened about good nutrition. I was young and healthy, I thought, why should I care? I work in a department where all of us guys were REAL MEN and we ate REAL MEAT all the time. And we would scoff at anyone who didn't eat like us. One of my favorite sarcastic lines was to look at someone who was clearly obese and state
"I bet he eats all his veggies." Clearly that was not the case – but it sounded funny. The truth is, I was obese, but I preferred to call myself
"hefty."
 My road to McDougall began after a routine blood test on September 30, 2004. I'll never forget the conversation with my doctor. He told me that I needed to come in, as he was unable to give me the results over the phone. Then he told me to make sure I ate no sweets or anything unhealthy. I felt my heart rise into my throat. My father was a diabetic, and one thing I knew was that diabetics weren't supposed to eat sugar or sweet foods. I asked the doctor straight out over the phone,
"What's going on? Am I a type-2 diabetic or something?" – trying to sound all intelligent.
"Yes", he said slowly, knowing he shouldn't be telling me this over the phone.
Three days later at his office the doctor told me three things: First, I was a diabetic; second, I had high cholesterol; and third, I was diagnosed with hemachromatoses (which I now understand to mean I had extremely high levels of iron in my blood – high enough so that it was beginning to damage my vital organs).
Here are some examples of what I was eating to cause these troubles:
Breakfast: Sugar laden cereal and milk or a couple of bacon and egg sandwiches
Morning Snack: Coke and a donut
Lunch: Hamburger and chips or chicken and chips or some other fast food meal followed by a milkshake or an ice-cream
Afternoon Snack: Potato Chips and a coke
Dinner: Steak with creamy pasta sauce or lamb chops with lots of creamy mashed potatoes or chicken wrapped in bacon smothered in garlic butter with creamy scalloped potatoes
Dessert: A BIG bowl of ice-cream
Before bed: A chocolate bar or large cut of cheese
In addition, I would consume unlimited quantities of Coke, Milk and Orange Juice throughout the day.
The doctor gave me a diet to follow. Much of what I loved I could no longer eat. My love for food dwindled away, and I fell into a deep depression. Then, he prescribed for me a course of diabetic drugs, called Diabex (metformin, like Glucophage), twice daily. I asked him what the possible side effects could be. He said I could become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and that was the worst I could expect.
Over the next few weeks I began the new diet and the exercise plan – and during this time, I watched my weight steadily rise. The depression grew worse – I was eating like a sparrow, I was hungry most of the time, I was doing a workout that I had no desire to do. I saw nothing but misery for the rest of my years. Was this regime worth continuing or should I just go back to my former way of life, and let the diabetes run its course? The thought of my wife and three kids kept me doing what I inherently knew was wrong.
About a month later I developed fever, chills, and before long I felt like I just wanted to die. After a night of suffering, I concluded this might have been lactic acidosis, a serious side effect from the Diabex. Obviously, my present approach was not curing me and I was risking my life with the medication. I decided then that I had to find a cure at all costs. I had to do this for my family. So I began to search.
One kind co-worker sent me an e-mail with a link to Dr. McDougall's presentation on the
"Hazards of Dairy" from the Vegsource 2003 conference. I was so impressed with what he had to say that I started reading his website. Here I found detailed information on how to get myself out of trouble.
My wife joined in with me. At first, her commitment wasn't 100% to the plan, even though it was when I was around. Her mindset was "well, it's not me that's sick - all my levels are normal, so the odd donut or ice-cream won't hurt me...will it?" The coworker who sent me the link also decided to start the plan. It wasn't what we would call 100% McDougall, but it was all vegan food, with the decision that meat would only be consumed in circumstances beyond his control (like a neighbor's barbecue, etc.). But for me, it was 100%. I stopped the medications and began this very different diet I call "McDougalling," on December 1, 2004.
Six weeks after starting the McDougall regime, I went back to the doctor. I was seriously dreading this next visit. I wanted to believe more than anything that Dr. McDougall was right. But what if my body didn't respond? And what if giving up the medication had done me more harm than good? He looked at the results and with his eyes nearly popping out of his head he turned to me and said
"Congratulations." He then shook my hand and said words I will never forget,
"There is now no longer any need for medical intervention. You have really looked after yourself." I tried to tell him what I did but he didn't seem interested. He was happy I was off the medication, and as far as he was concerned, he was the reason for my success.
 My sugar levels at first reading were 340 mg/dl, and today (March 7, 2005) they are 85 mg/dl. Additionally, my cholesterol was 262 mg/dl, and now it is 89 mg/dl. My triglycerides went from 518 mg /dl to 82 mg/dl. My weight has dropped from 242 pounds at my highest to 185 pounds today, and I am still slowly dropping. Now there are no medications interfering with my life. I look good and I feel good. Many people around me are also following the plan, and even those who aren't following it strictly have benefited. One lady at my work stopped me in a corridor and asked
"what is it you guys are doing in there? You all look so great!" I told her,
"We're REAL MEN who eat NO MEAT (or dairy etc.). And it's a far
better place to be."
The lifestyle is NOT what I thought it would be. The foods are actually really good, and I'm never hungry! The exercise has become so enjoyable that I look forward to it now. My wife has commented on how my mood is so much more positive; I am no longer awake three quarters of the night; and I now have the physical energy to enjoy my boys (13, 10 and 8 years old) – I can now get out and run after a ball with them. There are so many more ailments that I have been relieved from in addition to the big ones I have told you about.
My wife, Andee, adds, "The McDougall lifestyle has changed our whole family. It
means my husband will be with me for a lot longer, and I no
longer fear losing him to a heart attack, diabetes or stroke,
which have claimed the lives of many of his family members (some
of them at a very young age!). For myself, I now feel alive, I
am no longer exhausted by 9 PM and wanting to go to bed – I can
even stay awake through a late night movie now instead of
falling asleep mid-movie! Since I started my new lifestyle, in 2
1/2 months I have lost 27 pounds."
Maybe I'll be technically a "diabetic" until I die. My doctor would say so. But looking at the figures that I now have, I'm normal. That to me is a cure.
I lived the first 28 years of my life with faulty information and a closed mind. I was raised in the mid-west USA, where we ate meat, dairy, junk-food, and everything fried. During my medical school years I maintained the belief that the American diet was good, in fact, the best nutrition. I once thought vegetarians were malnourished and ate horrible tasting foods. I was fat at 228 pounds, had suffered a debilitating stroke and undergone major abdominal surgery by the age 25. My guess is I would have never seen my 40th birthday if I had not had my eyes opened to the truth.
Working as a plantation doctor between 1973 and 1976 on the Big Island of Hawaii gave me insights that saved my life and the lives of many others. My first generation Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese patients lived on rice and vegetables (foods they learned to love before they moved to Hawaii) – no dairy and little meat – and they were my trimmest and healthiest patients – no diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or prostate, colon or breast cancer. Their children and grandchildren, who were raised from birth in Hawaii, learned the American diet, and as a result became fat and sick. These observations forced me to re-evaluate what I knew about good nutrition and the causes of diseases. Not long afterwards, I learned that if you stop doing the things that make people sick they heal and regain their lost health. More specifically, if you correct malnutrition from the Western diet, people will soon be cured of obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, gout, inflammatory arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and most kinds of abdominal distress – to name a few diseases caused by rich foods (often residual damage is left). Logan is cured of his obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and type-2 diabetes – just as I cured the diseases that I suffered from as a young man. You can do the same.
Logan, Andee, and many of you have discovered the truth and this causes us to look at the whole world differently. We understand why those around us are fat and sick – these problems are not medical mysteries waiting to be solved by geneticists and virologists. We now appreciate
"good food" – food that is pleasing to our palates and supports our health – in fact, we have changed so much that when we walk down the meat aisle of the grocery store we become nauseated. Why do so many others fail to recognize the obvious? Try to remember that not so long ago you and I were living the same lie and suffering the results. Even though rejection by others is painful, I encourage you to continue to share the truth with friends and family in order to help more people become enlightened.
People interested in solving problems similar to Logan's can go to my web site at www.drmcdougall.com, and look in the newsletter archives for detailed information on:
Diabetes:
February 2004: Type-2 Diabetes – the Expected Adaptation to Overnutrition
Overweight:
December 2004: Lose a Half Pound a Day – Setpoint
January 2005: Pushing Your Setpoint to the Limits
The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss
Cholesterol:
September 2002: Cholesterol - When and How to Treat
February 2003: Niacin - A Time Honored Treatment for Cholesterol and Triglycerides
June 2003: Cleaning Out Your Arteries
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